Numbers guru Nate Silver & his team over at FiveThirtyEight have done an interesting travel time analysis that deserves a gold medal.. Below is the fruit of their labor and don’t forget to read the accompanying analysis here. One thing is clear from reading this analysis – our transportation network is really messed up and there is a lot to be desired in terms of improved multimodal connectivity (involving public transportation).

Image courtesy: FiveThirtyEight.com

Source  www.dronestagr.am via pddnet.com

For more information visit www.dronestagr.am.

Someone shared this incredible slideshow (with commentary )of the Antonov An-22 Mriya, the largest plane ever built.  Stunning to say the least.

A few nuggets of data from the slideshow:

• It takes a crew of 6 people to fly this plane.
• Wingspan: 88 meters (290 feet) Length: 84 meters (275 feet)
• 32 wheels supporting a maximum take-off weight of 640 tonnes (1,411,000 pounds).
• hold up to 300 000 kg of jet fuel; about 98,000 gallons (apparently, the cargo hold is longer than the Wright Brother’s first flight!)

Pretty crazy numbers.  Anyways, enjoy the slide show below.

And here is a video of the plane taking off at the Zurich airport.  To see this beast of a plane gliding in the air is a sight to behold.

Related articles

• Pictured: World’s biggest plane, the Antonov 225, touches down at Manchester Airport
• The World’s Largest Plane Was Just In Minneapolis And Is Ginormous
• World’s Largest Plane Set to Depart from MSP Wednesday
• The World’s Largest Cargo Plane Can Swallow a 737 Whole
• The Largest Plane In the World: An 225

(via Bloomberg)

I admit that I don’t think much about my seats when I fly and instead I’d be more interested in where I’m seated (aisle or window). But apparently a lot of time and resources are poured into designing the seats. Take a peek inside the highly-secretive, East London studio where airline seats are dreamed up.

Airline pricing webinar – April 16, 2014

Click image to register and to learn more about the event

Thank god this guy chose to focus his energy and investments on transportation, one of the most-neglected fields from an investment perspective.  Elon Musk’s interview is a testament to what one man can aspire and do to inspire a generation with his ideas.

This neat infograph from Cheapflight.ca (H/T Business Insider) shows how much lighter your wallet will be when you have to hitch a ride from the airport to your destination in the city (downtown/CBD/etc).. Could definitely come in handy when you are planning that next vacation abroad.. Strangely, Asia is the home to both the cheapest (Delhi, India) and highest (Tokyo, Japan) taxi fare in the world.  It will be awesome if someone compiled a list that shows the cost of public transportation to the airport (such a linkage may be non-existent in some parts of the globe but I’m hoping the metropolitan cities listed below would definitely offer that connectivity).

Source: Cheapflights.ca

via Reason.TV

Reason.TV has compiled this funny video (with a subtle jab at the Transportation Security Administration) in time for the holiday travel season. As you board planes this holiday, please be aware of 12 actual banned items from the TSA. :)

Date & Time: Tuesday, November 19, 2013 

• Seminar 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Reception 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM

For the United States, Japan is the fourth largest market in bilateral passenger air services. More than ten million people fly between these two countries every year.

Unfortunately, while other Asian aviation markets, such as U.S.-China, have rapidly developed, the U.S.-Japan market experienced a downward trend during the last decade. This may reflect the difference in economic and social circumstances among the U.S.-Japan and other bilateral markets. Some might argue that the U.S.-Japan market has and will continue to exhibit relatively softer demand than in the past.

However, conditions in the U.S.-Japan market are changing. The Open Skies agreement, airport expansion in Tokyo, and recovery from the recent economic downturn in both countries and the Great East Japan Earthquake could factor in the revitalization of the market.

In this seminar, JITI’s distinguished speakers will review the current dynamics of the U.S.-Japan aviation market and discuss whether it can be reinvigorated, including what the key to an eventual resurgence might be.

Click here to see the agenda, speakers line up and registration information.

via Lockheed Martin

Today, August 19th, is the U.S. National Aviation Day and what better way to celebrate than with a video of first night time vertical landing of F-35B on a carrier deck.  The video shows a U.S. Marine Corps test pilot performing the first night-time vertical landing aboard the USS WASP  on August 14 and it looks equal parts scary and awesome seen in the neon green glow of the night-vision camera. It is safe to say that it adds a new dimension and immense depth to the strike capability of a carrier group with this new feature added.

* Note: According to Wikipedia that National Aviation Day is observed to celebrate the development of aviation.  It was established in 1939 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who issued a presidential proclamation which designated the anniversary of Orville Wright‘s birthday to be National Aviation Day (Mr. Wright, born in 1871, was still alive when the proclamation was first issued, and would live another nine years). The proclamation was codified (USC 36:I:A:1:118), and it allows the sitting US President to proclaim August 19 as National Aviation Day each year, if desired. His/her proclamation may direct all federal buildings and installations to fly the US flag on that day, and may encourage citizens to observe the day with activities that promote interest in aviation.